I am just plugging away with the reading. It gets dark so early now, all I want to do is lay in bed and read!

After This by Alice McDermott

This was a nice piece of literature, depressing like most in the more literary form. It really makes you look at the mundane average life and really feel for those involved as they deal with life's inevitabilities.

Anytime an author looks at the complexities of life in the eyes of an average family, I feel that the message is more profound than a story that comes from a more polarized or exaggerated form of reality.

From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. A master at capturing Irish-Catholic American suburban life, particularly in That Night (1987) and the National Book Award–winning Charming Billy (1998), McDermott returns for this sixth novel with the Keane family of Long Island, who get swept up in the wake of the Vietnam War. When John and Mary Keane marry shortly after WWII, she's on the verge of spinsterhood, and he's a vet haunted by the death of a young private in his platoon. Jacob, their first-born, is given the dead soldier's name, an omen that will haunt the family when Jacob is killed in Vietnam (hauntingly underplayed by McDermott). In vignette-like chapters, some of which are stunning set pieces, McDermott probes the remaining family's inner lives. Catholic faith and Irish heritage anchor John and Mary's feelings, but their children experience their generation's doubt, rebellion and loss of innocence: next eldest Michael, who had always dominated Jacob, drowns his guilt and regret in sex and drugs; Anne quits college and moves to London with a lover; Clare, a high school senior, gets pregnant. The story of '60s and '70s suburbia has been told before, and McDermott has little to say about the Vietnam War itself. But she flawlessly encapsulates an era in the private moments of one family's life.


The Foodtaster by (Ugo DiFonte) Peter Elbling

During the Medieval period royalty was the target of assisinations for control over the power. Poison was once of the most popular and stelthy form of these assasination attempts. Hence, the need for a food taster; a lucky individual who would taste all food for said royalty before it touched their precious pallet. This is a story of one of them.

If you like historical fiction thrown in with some humor, this is for you.

From Publishers WeeklyA 16th-century Italian peasant finds himself caught up in the culinary aspects of palace intrigue in this clever, cheeky debut novel (ostensibly Ugo DiFonte's memoir) by screenplay writer Elbling, who begins his first-person narrative when DiFonte is appointed the food taster for a corrupt duke. DiFonte quickly learns the subtleties of his new position and gains influence in the court, until his beautiful daughter, Miranda, comes of age and attracts the attentions of the duke's power-hungry cook, Tommaso. DiFonte is forced to promise Miranda to Tommaso in marriage to keep the cook from slandering his reputation, but all hell breaks loose when the volatile, piggish duke, Federico Basillione DiVincelli, turns his lascivious eye on Miranda and proposes to her after his previous paramour betrays him. Miranda's fickle nature keeps her waffling between her love for Tommaso and her desire to be a princess at the side of the duke. After she accepts the duke's offer, DiFonte desperately tries to play both ends against the middle (even during the wedding celebration) as Tommaso and Miranda continue their trysts and the food taster is accused of witchcraft by a visiting cardinal. Elbling overplots at several junctures, but that minor flaw is overshadowed by his entertaining cast of characters, most notably the hapless but charismatic DiFonte, who somehow manages to keep his head above water as he bumbles and stumbles from one palace conspiracy to the next. Throw in some wry, humorous scenes about the pitfalls and perils of his occupation, and the result is a light but enjoyable spin on the usual Renaissance comedy-of-manners formula.

Just finished some Teen Books:

Keesha's House by Helen Frost (Michael L Printz Honor Book)
Highly recommended!
From School Library JournalGrade 9 Up-Frost has taken the poem-story to a new level with well-crafted sestinas and sonnets, leading readers into the souls and psyches of her teen protagonists. The house in the title isn't really Keesha's; it belongs to Joe. His aunt took him in when he was 12, and now that he's an adult and the owner of the place, he is helping out kids in the same situation. Keesha needs a safe place to stay-her mother is dead; her father gets mean when he drinks, and he drinks a lot. She wants to stay in school, all these teens do, and Keesha lets them know they can stay at Joe's. There's Stephie, pregnant at 16, and terrified to tell anyone except her boyfriend. Harris's father threw him out when his son confided that he is gay. Katie's stepfather has taken to coming into her room late at night, and her mother refuses to believe her when she tells. Carmen's parents have run off, and she's been put into juvie for a DUI. Dontay is a foster kid with two parents in jail. Readers also hear from the adults in these young people's lives: teachers, parents, grandparents, and Joe. It sounds like a soap opera, but the poems that recount these stories unfold realistically. Revealing heartbreak and hope, these poems could stand alone, but work best as a story collection. Teens may read this engaging novel without even realizing they are reading poetry.Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Hillsboro, ORCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

From Booklist*Starred Review* A meteor is going to hit the moon, and 16-year-old Miranda, like the rest of her family and neighbors in rural Pennsylvania, intends to watch it from the comfort of a lawn chair in her yard. But the event is not the benign impact predicted. The moon is knocked closer to Earth, setting off a chain of horrific occurrences: tsunamis, earthquakes, and, later, volcanic eruptions that disrupt life across the planet. Written in the form of Miranda's diary, this disquieting and involving story depicts one family's struggle to survive in a world where food, warmth, and well-being disappear in the blink of an eye. As life goes from bad to worse, Miranda struggles to find a way to survive both mentally and physically, discovering strength in her family members and herself. This novel will inevitably be compared to Meg Rosoff's Printz Award Book, How I Live Now (2004). Pfeffer doesn't write with Rosoff's startling eloquence, and her setup is not as smooth (Why don't scientists predict the possibility of this outcome?). But Miranda and her family are much more familiar than Rosoff's characters, and readers will respond to the authenticity and immediacy of their plight. Each page is filled with events both wearying and terrifying and infused with honest emotions. Pfeffer brings cataclysmic tragedy very close. Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Other books I've been reading:

ExLibris by Ross King
From Publishers WeeklyIsaac Inchbold, middle-aged proprietor of Nonsuch Books, has never traveled more than 24 leagues from London, where by 1660 he has made his home above his bookshop for 25 years. King (Domino) opens his finely wrought tale with Inchbold's receipt of a strange letter from an unknown woman, Alethea Greatorex, or Lady Marchamont. Surprising himself and his apprentice, Tom Monk, Inchbold consents to visit her at Pontifex Hall, in Dorsetshire. Once he arrives at the crumbling manor house, Lady Marchamont shows him its extraordinary library and sets him a strange task: he is to track down a certain ancient and heretical manuscript, The Labyrinth of the World, missing from her collection and identifiable by her father's ex libris. Withholding much relevant informationAsuch as the reasons that her husband and father were murderedAshe offers him a sum greater than his yearly income, but gives no reason other than that she wishes the collection undiminished. When he accepts the job, Inchbold is drawn into a clandestine, centuries-old battle over the manuscriptAhis every move, it seems, dictated by some unseen hand. King expertly leads his protagonist through an endless labyrinth of clues, discoveries and dangers, all the while expertly detailing 17th-century Europe's struggles over religion and knowledge. He interweaves a subplot describing the manuscript's journey from Prague to Pontifex Hall that involves theft, flight and murder. The world of the novel is satisfyingly complete, from its ornate syntax and vocabulary to the Dickensian names of its characters (Phineas Greenleaf, Dr. Pickvance, Nat Crumb); its beleaguered, likable narrator is fully developed; and its fast-paced action is intricately conceived. Fans of literary thrillers by the likes of Eco, Hoeg and Perez-Reverte will delight in this suspenseful, confident and intelligent novel. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

I enjoyed this book. If you like Historical (ish) fiction and mystery, I would give this a try!

United States of Arugula by David Kamp
Well written, interesting and packed with information!

From Publishers WeeklyKamp, a writer and editor for Vanity Fair and GQ, details the development of fine dining in the U.S. and proves healthy, even exotic food movements are having an effect on our diet. He highlights the great divide between a population that relies on McDonald's and those who savor gourmet cooking. Historically, the rich always had high-end restaurants; the rest contented themselves with recipes in the ladies' sections of newspapers and magazines. But thanks to "the Big Three"—James Beard, Julia Child and Craig Claiborne—America had an eating revolution. Kamp supplies an engaging account of their careers; Claiborne has a particularly spicy life story. While The Joy of Cooking focused on helping housewives keep "one eye on the family purse and the other on the bathroom scale," says Kamp, quoting Irma Rombauer, Beard saw cooking as a passion. During the 1960s, restaurant reviews became respectable journalism and dining out a status symbol. As rebellion turned to affluence, "eating, cooking and food-shopping were symbols for those who considered themselves upwardly mobile." This cultural history makes for an engrossing read, documenting the dramas and rivalries of the food industry. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An assembly such as this : a novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, gentleman by Pamela AidanPride and Prejudice told from the P.O.V. of Mr. Darcy. <3

Get to work : a manifesto for women of the world by Linda Hirshman Feminist essay

End in tears : a Wexford novel by Ruth Rendellher lastest mystery

and some various cookbooks such as:French Laundry (just looking, I don't think I could pull off any of the recipes!)

Just finished:The nasty bits : collected varietal cuts, usable trim, scraps, and bones by Anthony Bourdain he's awesome

Real food : what to eat and why Nina Planck

no teen books recently, really need to get on that...

No Touch Monkey: and other travel lessions learned too late
essays on budget travel, hilarious, I recommend it

The Last of her Kind by Sigrid Nunez; fiction
This was a great book. I'm going to post a review that is not mine, because a. I'm lazy and b. I'm not sure I can explain the book to properly to serve it justice. I have been reading George Jackson's, "Blood in my Eye" and some works by Simone Weil a women, much like the fictitious Ann in the novel, who eats little, envies the poorest in spirit, wealth... because they are the holiest of humans, etc. She was considered a philosopher and activist.

When Georgette George and Ann Drayton meetin 1968 as freshmen roommates at Barnard College, Georgette marvels that her privileged, brilliant roommate envies Georgette's rough, impoverished childhood. Through the vehicle of this fascinating friendship, Nunez's sophisticated new novel (after For Rouenna) explores the dark side of the countercultural idealism that swept the country in the 1960s. Hyperbolic even for the times, Ann's passionate commitment to her beliefs-unwavering despite the resentment from those she tries to help-haunts Georgette, the novel's narrator, long after the women's lives diverge. In 1976, Ann lands in prison for shooting and killing a policeman in a misguided attempt to rescue her activist black boyfriend from a confrontation. The novel's generous structure also gracefully encompasses the story of Georgette's more conventional adult life in New York (she becomes a magazine editor, marries, and bears two children), plus that of Georgette's runaway junkie sister. Nunez reveals Ann's life in prison via a moving essay by one of her fellow inmates. By the end of this novel-propelled by rich, almost scholarly prose-all the parts come together to capture the violent idealism of the times while illuminating a moving truth about human nature. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. Appeared in: Reed Elsevier Inc. (c) Copyright 2006, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Every so often you close a book, and the only word that comes to mind is "Wow." This fifth offering from award winner Nunez (For Rouenna) elicits such a reaction. Part social history and part platonic love story, it takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The action begins in 1968, when working-class Georgette George is forced to room with upper-class Ann Drayton. Georgette is wary of Ann but slowly allows a friendship to develop. As it does, both get a crash course in the ways race, class, and gender impact cultural dominance. The novel is never heavyhanded but tells an intricate story that relies on morally complex characters and their friends and family. While the women's development is foremost, the era's most important markers-the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War protests, Black Panthers, Woodstock, hippie activities, feminist organizing, and AIDS activism, among them-offer a meaningful backdrop for each individual's sojourn. Rich in historical detail, this unpredictable novel zeroes in on what it means to renounce class privilege and sacrifice oneself in the service of human betterment. Stunningly powerful, it is highly recommended.-Eleanor J. Bader, Brooklyn, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. Appeared in: Reed Elsevier Inc. (c) Copyright 2006, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nunez's layered, thoughtful novel opens in the heyday of the civil rights movement, when Georgette George arrives at Barnard and is greeted by her activist roommate, Ann Drayton. Ann, a child of privilege who has rejected her upper-class roots, is persistent in her attempts to befriend Georgette, who comes from a working-class background. Georgette gradually finds herself drawn in by Ann. Although she never becomes the activist Ann is, the two remain friends even after they both drop out of college, until they have a violent fight and part ways for good--or so Georgette thinks. A few years later, Ann reappears as the central figure in a murder case that garners national attention. Ann stands accused of murdering the police officer who shot and killed her lover, an African American intellectual. Ann readily admits her guilt, and her seeming lack of repentance perplexes and enrages the country, but Georgette is unsurprised. Although she doesn't completely understand Ann, she has by now learned Ann's beliefs are unshakable and sincere. Nunez moves far past the obvious cliches about activism to show a character who, while not always completely sympathetic, is nonetheless multifaceted and three-dimensional. Told in Georgette's graceful, introspective voice, this engrossing, beautiful novel will enthrall readers. KristineHuntley. Appeared in: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

On a lighter note: My almost epic summer by Adele Griffin

A short, and cute book about a to-be freshman's summer before High School. She runs into a girl who is all beauty (which she secretly envies) and no brain, nor self-esteem (played out through her bullish actions). She also re-meets a former class mate who has grown into quite a catch. Unfortunatley, he has ties to the "other" girl. It all ends up how you would expect.

Griffin (Sons of Liberty) creates a lighthearted rendering of teenage ennui in this novel introducing Irene, a 14-year-old who is stuck at home in New Jersey while her best friend "spends a glorious, glamorous summer" at tennis camp in Vermont. Irene is passionate about two things: reading books and sketching hairdos of her favorite literary heroines. She dreams of owning her own beauty salon some day, but for the time being, she must tolerate a much less exciting career, baby-sitting the two Prior children five days a week. Just as she's resigned herself to spending hot, miserable days at the beach with her two young wards, Irene meets Starla, a stunningly beautiful but narcissistic lifeguard. The plot thickens when a mutual attraction blossoms between Starla's ex-boyfriend and Irene. Through a first-person narrative full of irony, the author conveys her heroine's alternating envy of and fascination for Starla as well as Irene's gradual realization that she may, after all, be a more interesting person than a bronzed-to-perfection diva. E-mails from Irene's friend at camp and an endearing nun, who was Irene's former English teacher, add an extra dimension to the novel, which underscores such morals as "You can't judge a book by its cover" and "Beauty is only skin deep." Ages 11-up. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Appeared in: Reed Elsevier Inc. (c) Copyright 2006, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

C'est le yawn. This blog is dull, but helpful.

more teen books:

Mates, Dates and Chocolate Cheats by Hopkins, Cathy
and
Mates, Dates and Diamond Destiny

These a just two in a series. They are cute stories, I would say more appealing to younger teens than juniors and seniors in H.S. Four friends who have little adventures involving boys, social issues (one was about charity events, the other just about boys in general) The setting in in England, so there is quite a bit of British slang, which makes it charming and a littler different.
Good, quick easy reads.

Massive by Bell, Julia

This is a little more serious than the previous books. Also set in England, the story follows an overweight teen and her anorexic mother through their struggles (mostly brought on by the mother) I don't think the ending really resolves anything about eating disorders, but there is a sense that the teen in the book is becoming more loving and accepting of herself.

Ask Me No Questions by Budhos, Marina Tamar

A Bangladeshi family's accunt of their changed lives as illegal immigrants after 9/11. Told in the voice of the youngest daughter. Deals with her father being detained by the INS, as well as addressing "normal" teen issues, such as sibling rivalry, school etc. Very good, highly recommended.

New installment: some new stuff; some stuff I remember reading, but have not added yet...

Bird by Angela Johnson



not my review:

Johnson's (The First Part Last) quiet, affecting story told in three voices follows Bird, 13, as she runs away in pursuit of her stepfather. In rural Alabama, Bird is befriended by two boys connected by a single heart: Ethan, her stepfather's nephew and recent recipient of a heart transplant, and Jay, a teen coping with the sudden death of his younger brother-a death that provided a healthy heart for sickly Ethan. All three introspective teens seem mature beyond their years, even when they do stupid things (such as riding along in a stolen car), and Johnson's lyric touch occasionally lapses into twee moments (as when Ethan spies Bird dancing in the moonlight on his family's property). But the overwhelming kindness of these characters (Ethan keeps Bird's secret, Ethan's parents plant flowers, without explanation, in Jay's yard) trumps the occasional lapses in verisimilitude. The author leavens all the hurt with humor; Bird wonders, for instance, why everyone she meets in Alabama offers her a meal. "They'll feed you if they think you're hungry, guess you're hungry, or if you aren't hungry but they are." In the satisfying ending, Bird realizes she's run after the wrong thing, but the time spent in the compassionate world Johnson has created makes this a worthwhile journey anyway-for her heroine and readers. Ages 10-14. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. Appeared in: Publishers Weekly, Oct 18, 2004 (c) Copyright 2005, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Johnson's (The First Part Last) quiet, affecting story told in three voices follows Bird, 13, as she runs away in pursuit of her stepfather. In rural Alabama, Bird is befriended by two boys connected by a single heart: Ethan, her stepfather's nephew and recent recipient of a heart transplant, and Jay, a teen coping with the sudden death of his younger brother-a death that provided a healthy heart for sickly Ethan. All three introspective teens seem mature beyond their years, even when they do stupid things (such as riding along in a stolen car), and Johnson's lyric touch occasionally lapses into twee moments (as when Ethan spies Bird dancing in the moonlight on his family's property). But the overwhelming kindness of these characters (Ethan keeps Bird's secret, Ethan's parents plant flowers, without explanation, in Jay's yard) trumps the occasional lapses in verisimilitude. The author leavens all the hurt with humor; Bird wonders, for instance, why everyone she meets in Alabama offers her a meal. "They'll feed you if they think you're hungry, guess you're hungry, or if you aren't hungry but they are." In the satisfying ending, Bird realizes she's run after the wrong thing, but the time spent in the compassionate world Johnson has created makes this a worthwhile journey anyway-for her heroine and readers. Ages 10-14. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. Appeared in: Publishers Weekly, Oct 18, 2004 (c) Copyright 2005, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES THE SECRET LIFE OF A CRITIC IN DISGUISE by Ruth Reichl



As the New York Times's restaurant critic for most of the 1990s, Reichl had what some might consider the best job in town; among her missions were evaluating New York City's steakhouses, deciding whether Le Cirque deserved four stars and tracking down the best place for authentic Chinese cuisine in Queens. Thankfully, the rest of us can live that life vicariously through this vivacious, fascinating memoir. The book-Reichl's third-lifts the lid on the city's storied restaurant culture from the democratic perspective of the everyday diner. Reichl creates wildly innovative getups, becoming Brenda, a red-haired aging hippie, to test the food at Daniel; Chloe, a blonde divorcee, to evaluate Lespinasse; and even her deceased mother, Miriam, to dine at 21. Such elaborate disguises-which include wigs, makeup, thrift store finds and even credit cards in other names-help Reichl maintain anonymity in her work, but they also do more than that. "Every restaurant is a theater," she explains. Each one "offer[s] the opportunity to become someone else, at least for a little while. Restaurants free us from mundane reality." Reichl's ability to experience meals in such a dramatic way brings an infectious passion to her memoir. Reading this work-which also includes the finished reviews that appeared in the newspaper, as well as a few recipes-ensures that the next time readers sit down in a restaurant, they'll notice things they've never noticed before. Agent, Kathy Robbins. (On sale Apr. 11) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. Appeared in: Publishers Weekly, Feb 14, 2005 (c) Copyright 2005, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Lists and more lists

God I haven't updated this in a while, must..brain...work....

The Wreckers, Iain Lawrence


not my review:

First-time novelist Lawrence gives a nod to Robert Louis Stevenson in a fast-paced, atmospheric yarn that will have adventure buffs glued to their seats. Author of two adult books on sailing, Lawrence paints a minutely observed picture of maritime life in 1799 Cornwall, where whole villages made a living by plundering ships they'd lured onto the jagged rocks of their storm-swept coastline. One such vessel is the Isle of Skye, owned by the father of 14-year-old narrator John Spencer, a Londoner who narrowly escapes drowning only to see a shipmate murdered by one of the wreckers. John goes in search of his missing father and stumbles across Stumps, a legless villain as terrifying as they come, who hints about a cache of gold and makes dark threats on his and his father's lives. Not knowing whom he can trust, John has to feel his way through a web of intrigue and treachery before time runs out for his father--and himself. From the evocative jacket painting of a moonlit shipwreck to the superb characterizations, hair-raising plot and authentic period details, Lawrence's fiction is first-rate. Ages 10-14. (May) Appeared in: Publishers Weekly, Jun 01, 1998 (c) Copyright 2004, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

my 2 cents:

This was a great story, probably better suited to boys than girls just because of the subject matter. It was quite violent for a "teen" book. I never knew about "wreckers" until this book. that's some crazy desperate shit to intentionally wreck a ship. I may read some of the other titles by this author in the future.

Some fantasy (which I do not usualy read)

Eragon, by Christopher Paolini

Gr 5 Up-Eragon, 15, is hunting for wild game when he witnesses a mysterious explosion. At the center of the blast radius he finds a polished blue stone marked with white veins. Brom, the village storyteller, has shown interest in it, so it is to him that Eragon turns when it starts squeaking, then wobbling, and then hatches into a majestic sapphire blue dragon. His decision to keep and raise Saphira starts him on an epic journey of Tolkienesque proportions that is only partially told in the 500 pages of this book. Eragon learns that the Empire's cruel and oppressive king will stop at nothing to get Eragon and Saphira to serve him. Training and traveling with Brom, the teen and dragon learn to work together in war and peace, using a combination of traditional fighting arts and magic. They encounter massive humanoid warriors with savage intentions and are befriended by Murtagh, a human warrior with mysterious ties to the Varden and the Empire. Eventually, they seek refuge with dwarves who harbor the Varden, who exist to free the Empire. Eragon does not approach the depth, uniqueness, or mastery of J. R. R. Tolkien's works, and sometimes the magic solutions are just too convenient for getting out of difficult situations. However, the empathetic characters and interesting plot twists will appeal to the legions of readers who have been captivated by the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and are looking for more books like it.-Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. Appeared in: School Library Journal, Sep 01, 2003 (c) Copyright 2004, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The author graduated from High School when he was 15, he wrote this book around the same time. But from what I understand, it was first published under his parents publishing company. This edition put out by Alfred A. Knopf was revised and expanded. Impressive none-the-less. I am not really a fan of "fantasy" but this book and the squel "Eldest" were and are very popular, so I thought I would try it. I was happy to find that I enjoyed it quite a bit. I had to start reading "Eldest" right after I finished "Eragon". They are pretty long books, so when I'm not reading them, I try to pick up some other light reading. I don't think I will put the fantasty genre on my favorites list just yet, but this is a start.

Nice Girls Finish First, Alesia Holliday



Chick-lit. Girl gets the guy, another dumps stupid dumb boy. We really do not need to discuss chick-lit. Brain cells dying....why did I read this? Next...


the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, Mark Haddon


From Publishers Weekly
Christopher Boone, the autistic 15-year-old narrator of this revelatory novel, relaxes by groaning and doing math problems in his head, eats red-but not yellow or brown-foods and screams when he is touched. Strange as he may seem, other people are far more of a conundrum to him, for he lacks the intuitive "theory of mind" by which most of us sense what's going on in other people's heads. When his neighbor's poodle is killed and Christopher is falsely accused of the crime, he decides that he will take a page from Sherlock Holmes (one of his favorite characters) and track down the killer. As the mystery leads him to the secrets of his parents' broken marriage and then into an odyssey to find his place in the world, he must fall back on deductive logic to navigate the emotional complexities of a social world that remains a closed book to him. In the hands of first-time novelist Haddon, Christopher is a fascinating case study and, above all, a sympathetic boy: not closed off, as the stereotype would have it, but too open-overwhelmed by sensations, bereft of the filters through which normal people screen their surroundings. Christopher can only make sense of the chaos of stimuli by imposing arbitrary patterns ("4 yellow cars in a row made it a Black Day, which is a day when I don't speak to anyone and sit on my own reading books and don't eat my lunch and Take No Risks"). His literal-minded observations make for a kind of poetic sensibility and a poignant evocation of character. Though Christopher insists, "This will not be a funny book. I cannot tell jokes because I do not understand them," the novel brims with touching, ironic humor. The result is an eye-opening work in a unique and compelling literary voice.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


This was a wonderful book. It was sad, humerous and touching. I cannot imagine having a mind like young Christopher. I recommend it highly.